Invariants of Behavior: Constancy and Variability in Neural Systems

267 Pages·2011·4.148 MB·English

by  Mario Negrello (auth.)

Springer Series in Cognitive and Neural Systems
Volume1
SeriesEditors
VassilisCutsuridis
JohnG.Taylor
Forfurthervolumes:
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Mario Negrello
Invariants of Behavior
Constancy and Variability in Neural Systems
123
MarioNegrello
OkinawaInstituteofScienceandTechnology
Okinawa,Japan
[email protected]
ISBN978-1-4419-8803-4 e-ISBN978-1-4419-8804-1
DOI10.1007/978-1-4419-8804-1
SpringerNewYorkDordrechtHeidelbergLondon
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Preface
As a cognitive scientist, I realize that in the study of the brain, challenges of
epistemologicalnaturematchthoseofempiricalnature.Issueshavetoberesolved
on both fronts, and with matching impetus. On the empirical forefront, one has
todealwithcomplexitiesofmeasurement,systemidentification,andexperimental
paradigms.Ontheepistemologicalside,functionhastobeoutlined,analyzed,local-
ized,discussed,explained.Thetwosidesmustbealloyediftheexplanatorysummit
istobeachieved.
Andasamechanicalengineer,Ifinditdifficulttodispelmynaturaltendencyto
seemechanismineverything.Themeaningofthemechanismanalogyinthestudy
of organismsand brain function has to be put under adequate light to be service-
able.Inthebrain,mechanismsaredynamicalprocesses,highlycontextdependent,
that subserve an incredible breadth of organismic behavior. They are evanescent,
butreliable.Theyareexpressiblethroughwordsandtheories,butareexhaustedby
neither.
IfoundnocommondenominatorformyconflictingquandariesuntilIwasintro-
ducedtocyberneticsthroughtheworksofvonFoerster,Braitenberg,Wiener,Pask,
andAshby,andmorerecently,Varela,Maturana,Pasemann,andBeer.Sopervasive
astobeinvisible,cyberneticspercolatedthroughmostofthesciencesinthesecond
halfofthepreviouscentury,andis,tomymind,theonlytruemethodofachieving
understandingamidthevastamountofknowledgethatallsciencescurrentlyamass.
It was not only once or twice that a powerfulepiphanyof minecould be retraced
60yearsinto the past, back to those of the magnificentset of revolutionaryscien-
tistswhounderstoodwhatitmeanstounderstand.ItistothemthatIpaydueswhere
duesaredue,andinallhumblenessofferthisbookasacyberneticcontributionfrom
amechanicalengineer,turnedcognitivescientist,convertedcyberneticist.
Some words about the formatof the book are required.Skimming the table of
contents,onewillnotice thatI tookthe libertyof dividingitinto two parts.Had I
heardsomegoodadvice“keepitshort,”itwouldperhapsindeedhavebeenshorter,
more to the point, more concise, and would primarily consist of Part II. But then
itwouldnotservea particularpurposeIwanteditto play,whichwas tomakeex-
plicitthepathtowardsconclusions.Iwantedittobeacompletesnapshot,orbetter,
a long-exposure picture, of the considerations leading to subsequent results. For
thatreasonprimarilyI have veryintentionallylaid emphasison epistemologyand
v
vi Preface
theoretical aspects of the problem, hence Part I. This discussion seems to me to
beessentialtoframebothproblemsthatcanbefractallycomplexandconclusions
thatarestrengthenedwhencontextualized.Ibelievethattheprocessofcommitting
complex ideas to paper has paid off immensely, and I hope to be harvesting divi-
dendsof the extraeffortin times to come.For that, I mustbegto be excusedof a
certainindependenceandperchanceunevennessinthetreatmentoftopics,attimes
introductory,attimestechnical,attimescontroversial.Forthatreasonalso,theref-
erencesare introducedin the individualchapters. If the readershall indulge me, I
believe that he or she may come to appreciate my choice that more (not less) is
more.
Finally, parts of this book have appeared in print before as journal articles
(Chaps.5,8),abookchapter(Chap.7),andanewsletterarticle(Chap.9).Theyhave
allundergonesubstantialrevisionin anattemptto deliveramoreunifiedpackage.
Finally, in the spirit of an open work, the book can also be said to be ongoing.
Theideasin it,especiallytheroleofinvariancein thestudyofbehavior,andcon-
stancy and variability in neural systems and behavior, are vast, unexplored, and,
I feel, immensely rich. If blinded by my excess enthusiasm I failed to offer the
precision and depth the ideas deserve, as a way of apologyI urgeyou to keep on
listening.Thereismoretocome.
Bonn, Germany MarioNegrello
Acknowledgements
Amind’sproduceiscontingentonothermindsandcircumstances.Thankyou:
Jackie Griego and Judith Degen, for jovially enduring my peculiar rants; Steffen
Wischmann,Walter de Back. and RobertMaertin, mentalbrethren;Mark Hallam,
worthyopponentandinspiredreviser;PeterKo¨nig,atrainingexample;HodLipson,
forhospitality;ChristianRempisandKeyanZahedi,forfriendlyscientificsoftware;
Orlei Negrello, my first scientific collaborator; Thomas Christaller, for mindful
interaction from Japan to Sankt Augustin; Frank Pasemann, for enthusing and
entrustingmewithideas,withadmiration.
vii

Contents
PartI InvariantsofBehavior
1 Introduction................................................................... 3
1.1 VariationandConstancyinNeurobiologyandBehavior............. 3
1.2 ArgumentOutline...................................................... 5
1.2.1 PartI:InvariantsandInvariantsofBehavior................ 5
1.2.2 ModelsandDynamicalSystems............................. 6
1.2.3 PartII:TheOrganismandItsWorld......................... 6
1.2.4 ConvergentEvolutionofBehavioralTraits.................. 7
1.2.5 ModularOrganization........................................ 7
1.2.6 ConceptDuals ................................................ 8
References...................................................................... 9
2 InvariancesinTheory........................................................ 11
2.1 InvariantsinPhysicsandMathematics................................ 11
2.1.1 InvariantsAreThatWhichRemainsWhen
SomethingElseChanges..................................... 11
2.1.2 TheoreticalInvariants:Speed of Light,
Planck’sConstant............................................. 11
2.1.3 TheoreticalandRelationalInvariants:Energy .............. 12
2.1.4 EmpiricalandRelationalInvariants:LawofGases......... 12
2.1.5 Context-DependentInvariances:Sumof
InternalAnglesoftheTriangle .............................. 13
2.1.6 InvariantsPrefigureTheories................................. 14
2.2 InvariantsinBiology................................................... 14
2.2.1 BiologyBorrowedInvariantsfromPhysics
andMathematics.............................................. 14
2.2.2 InvariantsinBiologyAreContext-Dependent.............. 14
2.2.3 ThreeExamples:Life,Form,andBehavior................. 15
2.2.4 OntogenyNeedstheEnvironment........................... 17
2.2.5 DevelopmentandBiophysics................................ 17
2.2.6 EvolutionOperatesonOrganisms,NotonGenes........... 18
2.2.7 GenesasInvariantsofSpeciesIdentity...................... 19
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